Version 2 of the ASTER GDEM is developed, employing an advanced algorithm to improve GDEM resolution and elevation accuracy and reprocessing a total of 1.6 million scene data including additional 350,000 scenes acquired after the previous release. Accuracy of this latest version is validated by the collaborate effort between Japan and the United States, which shows significant improvements over Version 1 (*3). The ASTER GDEM Version 2 will be formally released as an upgrade to Version 1 on October 17, 2011.